Tag Archives: mindset

Never Have a Bad Day Again

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Parenting can be challenging to say the least. I think it’s one of the biggest kept secrets… how hard parenting can actually be. There’s no dispute about how rewarding it is, and that’s out in the open… but as for how hard & demanding… that’s another story.

My kiddo and I, a while back, had to change the way we dealt with difficulty throughout the day. He used to say “this is the worst day” or “I’m having the worst day”. And, his attitude would perpetuate itself, drawing more of the same. So I would find us having one bad day after another. This quickly gained my attention, and I had to do something.

I realized that one bad moment should never determine the worth of the entire day. That’s insane! We’d never have a good day again if that were the case. It’d make more sense to hold on to one good moment and make that the theme of the day.

Thing is, life is a series of moments, and my kiddo does have bad moments from time to time. I was ready to go along with him and just say “this day sucks”. But that is not how I wanted to live. I decided that it was just the moment that didn’t feel good. And I told him something we use to this day. This is it….

Life is a series of moments… some good, some bad… some amazing. Our day is a series of many, many moments, so it’s impossible to have a bad day… only a few bad moments.

When he’s having a bad moment, he’s very aware of his unhappiness…. and he knows that it will pass. Kids have bad moments where something doesn’t go their way or they get hurt or their build in Minecraft gets destroyed. This is normal, and it’s an excellent opportunity for them to practice how to handle what they are feeling.

As parents, we can help them see that this is just a moment… and while it is less than desirable, they can handle it, it will pass, and everyone has bad moments from time to time.

We are their teachers. We can model with scripting out loud as we work through our bad moments. How else are they supposed to learn? Here’s an example…

Maybe a payment doesn’t go through, and you say out loud… “wow, this is a bad moment… I have lot of emotion right now… I need to get a breathe of fresh air… I know it’ll be ok… I won’t feel like this forever… this will pass… ” Then take a few breathes and say out loud…”hmm.. what can I do about this? what do I have control over? what’s my next best move here” And, you can continue with more of “I wish this didn’t happen, I’m so upset, but it’ll be ok, it always works out, I’ll figure it out” or you can skip right to solving the problem “I’m going to call them and see about making a payment in a couple of days… maybe they’ll be okay with that”. Being able to model an empowered mindset in difficult situations lifts both you and your kiddo… as you reinforce to yourself as well, that you can handle things that come your way.

My kiddo has some unique challenges, as do most kids these days. And, if I don’t teach him something directly, he might not pick it up through osmosis. All kids can benefit from modeling how to handle bad moments, and bad moments will turn into opportunities for them to master themselves and their mindset. No longer will you or your kiddos ever have a bad day. You will simply have tough moments… maybe some really, really tough moments. However, at the end of each day, you can reflect with your kiddo on all the moments and point out the ones you enjoyed the most, while expressing your pride in how they are handling tough ones better and better each time. It might be more of an expression of faith in their ability to handle the tough moments, until they grow that muscle.

They will hear your voice in their heads one day. What voice will that be? My kiddo will hear things like “I know you can handle this! You will figure this out. This will pass. You are strong. Tough moments are normal, What CAN you do about it (what do you have control over), and You’ll know what to do, You’ll see… it’ll work out, etc.” What you teach your kids is something they’ll have forever. Help them never have a bad day again. You matter more to them than you’ll ever know!

Here’s to our Insightful Kids!

Candice.

Mindset for Kids

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Mindset if For Kids Too!

Could you imagine who you would be if you were taught the power of positive thinking when you were a kid? What if you were rewarded for empowered thinking the same way you were rewarded for good behavior and good grades? And, what if you were given negative consequences for dis-empowered thinking just like unacceptable behavior and grades? Who would you be if empowered thinking had been hard wired into your way of being at a young age?

mindset, positive thinking, self mastery, personal development, kids

Mindset is not just for adults!

Let’s give the future generation a head start by teaching them now how to master their minds. It begins with you! First, walk the talk. Be sure that you are modeling each step so that the expectations are very clear for your kids or students. Simply think out loud whenever you have a positive or negative thought. Say what you are thinking to model bringing awareness to your mindset and then continue speaking your thoughts as you shift to more positive, empowering self-talk.

Mindset Rules

First, set the rules. All households and schools have set rules for behavior and clear consequences when the rules are broken. As we expand into a more aware experience of our world, we can expand these expectations, or rules, to our mindset as well. You need to be very clear on what is acceptable and what is not. Tell your kids or students that it is not okay to say “I can’t” or “I never”. Then give them acceptable statements like “I can ask for help” or “what can I do about this?” etc.

Mindset Consequences

Lastly, give your kids clear consequences for any negative, dis-empowering mindset, like self-talk or giving up. My favorites are include extra chores and pull-ups or push-ups. And, I explain the chores by saying that perhaps they need more responsibility to see that they are able to figure things out and get things done. I explain the physical consequence by saying that maybe strengthen the body will help strengthen the mind.

Resulting Mindset

Honestly, if you implement mindset rules and consequences, your kids or students will very quickly get the message that it’s not okay to have limited, dis-empowered thinking. You will see them quickly shift their mindset into a more empowered, positive approach. This is amazing to watch, and it changes the entire mood of the room. Kids become problem solvers, looking for ways to make things work and ask for help when they can’t figure things out. This increases their self-esteem, as well as, their success in what they are doing, because they don’t just give up.

Let’s help our kids and students develop a mindset that will empower them and set them up for a successful future!

If you’d like a great book for kids on mindset, try this awesome kid’s picture book My Brain is a Thinking Machine. In a fun social story, kids learn how to pay attention to the good thoughts and what to do with the rest.

Lots of Light,

Candice T. Aguirre